Shloka 4
नारद-देवमत-संवादः
Nārada–Devamata Dialogue on Prāṇa, Apāna, and Udāna
देवमत उवाच केनायं सृज्यते जन्तु: कश्चान्य: पूर्वमेति तम् । प्राणद्वन्द्धं च मे ब्रूहि तिर्यगूर्धष्यमधश्च॒ यत्,देवमतने पूछा--नारदजी! किस निमित्त कारणसे इस जीवकी सृष्टि होती है? दूसरा कौन पदार्थ पहले कारणरूपसे उपस्थित होता है तथा प्राणोंका द्वन्द्ध क्या है, जो ऊपर, मध्यमें और नीचे व्याप्त है?
devamata uvāca: kenāyaṃ sṛjyate jantuḥ? kaścānyaḥ pūrvam eti tam | prāṇadvandvaṃ ca me brūhi tiryag ūrdhvaṃ adhaś ca yat ||
Devamatā perguntou: “Por que causa este ser vivo é trazido à existência? E que outro princípio vem primeiro, precedendo-o como causa anterior? Diz-me também sobre a ‘dualidade dos sopros vitais’—aquilo que permeia os domínios de baixo, do meio e de cima.”
देवमत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a philosophical inquiry into causality and embodiment: it asks what produces living beings, what prior principle precedes their manifestation, and how the vital forces (prāṇas) operate as a duality that pervades all levels of existence. The ethical thrust is humility before ultimate causes and the disciplined pursuit of knowledge through questioning.
Devamatā addresses a sage (contextually Narada in this dialogue) with a set of metaphysical questions. She seeks an explanation of the origin of creatures, the antecedent cause behind their arising, and the nature of the prāṇic duality that functions throughout the cosmos—above, in the middle, and below.